Mandate
The mandate of Uganda Police Force as provided in the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, and Uganda Police Force Act; i is protection of life and property, prevention and detection of crime, keeping law and order, and maintenance of overall Security and Public Safety in Uganda.
Vision:
A professional and people centered police for a safe and secure society
Mission
To Secure Life and Property in Partnership with the Public, in a committed and professional manner in order to promote sustainable development.
Core Values
- Discipline
- Professionalism
- Community oriented
- Nationalistic
- Patriotic
- Integrity
HISTORY OF THE UGANDA POLICE FORCE
The Uganda Police Force has evolved from pre‑colonial traditional justice systems through its formation as the Uganda Armed Constabulary in 1899 and its reorganisation as the Uganda Protectorate Police in 1906, to today’s constitutionally mandated force under the 1995 Constitution.
It has journeyed from serving as a colonial instrument of control to becoming a national institution tasked with protecting life and property, preserving law and order, preventing and detecting crime, and maintaining internal security.
Pre‑colonial policing
Before formal policing, Ugandan communities maintained order through customary systems rooted in culture and tradition. They had their own norms and systems of social control. Kings and chiefs oversaw large territories, elders policed villages, and heads of families enforced discipline at household level. Crime was defined by community values, and councils of elders heard disputes and determined appropriate sanctions.
Birth of the colonial police (1899–1906)
With the declaration of the Uganda Protectorate in 1894, the British imposed a judicial system based on common law, backed by an armed enforcement body. In 1899 they created the Uganda Armed Constabulary, a paramilitary force established to maintain public order, protect key installations and suppress resistance to colonial rule. Recruitment followed a militaristic model, emphasising physical fitness, toughness and unquestioning obedience and colonial officers enjoyed extensive protection in the exercise of their duties.
Uganda Protectorate Police
On 25 May 1906, the Uganda Armed Constabulary was reorganised and renamed the Uganda Protectorate Police, a date widely regarded as the birth of the modern Uganda Police. Captain W.F.S. Edwards arrived that year as the first Inspector General, based at Entebbe. He introduced clear systems of administration, records and reporting, and laid the foundations for a more structured policing organisation.
Initially, the force consisted of a small cadre of officers and inspectors supported by African non‑commissioned officers and constables. By 1912, it had expanded to about 15 stations across the country. Specialist functions such as criminal investigations, traffic, signals and railway policing began to emerge, and African officers held ranks ranging from sergeant major and sergeant to various classes of constables.
Enforcing colonial rule and professionalisation
In the early 20th century, the Protectorate Police played a central role in enforcing colonial authority. It was deployed to quell resistance and protests, including the 1907 Nyangire rebellion in Bunyoro, opposition to cash crops such as cotton in Ankole and the 1911 Lamogi rebellion in northern Uganda.
Through the 1930s and 1940s, the force was also involved in suppressing strikes, tax evasion, riots and other political agitations as nationalist pressures grew.
At the same time, the Uganda Police introduced mechanised transport, formal traffic units and more structured training. Its establishment grew from under 1,000 men in 1906 to several thousand by the mid‑1950s. The end of the Second World War and the emergence of the United Nations accelerated the global movement for self‑determination and Uganda entered the 1960s which was the decade of African independence with an increasingly professional but politically stretched police force.
Towards independence
In the run‑up to independence, non-indigenous officers gradually handed over to Ugandan officers. Between 1961 and 1962, the first non-indigenous officers left the service, creating space for local leadership in senior positions. In 1962, the title “Commissioner of Police” was replaced by “Inspector General of Police” (IGP) as the head of the force. Erinayo Wilson Oryema was designated, and later confirmed, as Uganda’s first indigenous IGP, symbolising the Africanisation of command and the shift from colonial to national service.
Despite its colonial legacy, many assessments describe the Uganda Police at independence as a relatively small, effective and well‑motivated force. Operational standards were generally high, officers were proud to serve, and the public largely appreciated the professionalism and responsiveness of the force.
Post‑independence reforms
After independence on 9 October 1962, the Uganda Police Force continued as the national law enforcement body under successive governments. Over the decades, however, political instability, conflict and changing security demands led to repeated restructuring. In the early 1980s, university graduates were recruited into the force, some receiving training in Munduli, Tanzania.
After the National Resistance Movement came to power in 1986, screening reduced the size of the force from about 10,000 to around 3,000 officers. The Special Forces unit, which had been closely associated with the previous government, was disbanded and replaced by the Mobile Police Patrol Unit. A renewed emphasis on education led to the recruitment of hundreds of university graduates as cadet officers, gradually shifting the force away from a largely semi‑illiterate base and aligning recruitment with both physical and intellectual standards.
Constitutional mandate in the modern era
A series of reforms and policy shifts over time reshaped the mandate, structure and ethos of the Uganda Police Force. The 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda now firmly establishes the Force and under Article 212, mandates it to protect life and property, preserve law and order, prevent and detect crime, cooperate with civilian authority and other security agencies, and maintain internal security.
Today’s Uganda Police Force is a national institution working to uphold the law, safeguard communities and support the country’s social, economic and political development in line with constitutional and human‑rights standards.